Folding machine



Nov. 12, 1963 A. WHITECAR 3,110,488

FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 I INVENTOR. N ALTEN E. WHITECAR ATTORN EYS Nov. 12, 1963 A. E. WHITECAR 3,1

v FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1961 :s Sheets- -Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ALTEN E. WH ITECAR ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1963 w c 3,110,488

FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1961 3 SheetsSheet 3 INVENTOR. F I G. 6' B ALTEN E. WHITECAR YMMVM ATTORN EYS 3,1 10,488 Patented Nov. 12, 1963 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,110,488 FOLDING MACHINE I Alten E. Whitecar, Westville, N.J., assignor to Smith Kline & French Laboratories, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 81,887 Claims. (Cl. 270-68) This invention relates to a folding machine and more particularly relates to such a machine for folding a sheet.

The machine of this invention folds a sheet about a line near one end of the sheet in order to form a flap. A typical example is in the case of a sheet which is to be formed into a folder for holding a sample medicinal tablet. In such cases the conventional folding machines of the roller-stop type are useless since they depend upon the sheet being between the drive rollers during the folding while such is not the case where the fold line is to be close to the end of the sheet.

The machine of this invention can make a fold near the end of a sheet with or without the assistance of'a score line at the folding line. It will also be appreciated that it can be employed with a sheet which has already had other portions folded.

The invention will be made clear'from a study of the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a machine in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken indicated by the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a portion of the vertical section of FIGURE 2 illustrating the initiation of the operation of the machine of FIGURE .1;

FIGURE 4 is a portion of the vertical section of FIG- on the planes URE 2 illustrating the foldingoperatio-n;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective'view showing a partially prefolded sheet which-.is' to be further folded to complete a packet; and 3 j FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the completely folded packet. 4

I Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, a machine 1 in accordance with this invention is provided with a frame 2 having a base portion 3 and upstanding portions 4 and 5.

A magazine 6 is formed by a plate 7 having depending flanges 7a on its opposite sides. Flanges 7a each have a semi-circular cut-out portion 8 which seats on a bar 9 which is fixedly mounted at its opposite ends to the frame upstanding portions, 4 and 5. Flanges 7a each have a forked end .10 vengaging a fixed bar 11 secured to blocks 12. mounted in .upstanding portions 4 and 5.

The magazine is. providednwith guide members 16 and 18. Guide member 16 has a side wall 20 and a bottom wall 22 and guide member 18 similarly has a side wall 24 and a bottom wall 26. Secured to the underside of each of bottom walls 22 and 26 is a bolt 28 passing through slot 30 in plate 7. A knurled nut 32 is threaded on to bolt 28 and bears against a washer 34 to hold each guide member 1-6 and 18 in position.

Adjacent the discharge end of magazine 6 there is provided a feed roller 40 fixedly secured to shaft 42 which is rotatably mounted in bearing blocks 44 and 46 mounted in upstmding frame members 4 and 5. A gear 48 is fixedly secured to shaft 42 which meshes with a gear 50 fixedly secured to shaft 52 which is mounted for rotation in bearing blocks (not shown) carried by upstanding frame members 4 and 5. A fixed backing roll 56 adjacent said roller 40 is fixedly secured to bar 11.

A plate 60 is mounted below said roller 40 and is provided with opposite side flanges 62 which are secured I adjacent to plate and a rubber idler roller 66 is mounted above roller on shaft 68 which is mounted for rotation in bearing blocks 70 and 72, respectively mounted on upstanding frame members 5 and 4. Rollers 66 and 65 act as an upper and lower roller for feeding the sheetto be folded. A pulley 74 fixedly secured to shaft 52 carries a belt 76 which in turn is driven by pulley 78 which in turn is secured to shaft 80. Shaft 80 is driven by an electric motor 82. A rubber idler roller 86 having an axis lying in the same horizontal plane as the axis of roller 65 is fixedly secured to shaft 88 which is mounted in bearing blocks (not shown) secured to upstanding frame members 4 and '5. I

A guide 90 is formed by a pair of spaced slotted frames 92 and 94 which at one end are'secured to bracket 96 which is pivotal-1y secured at 98, 98 to bosses 100' which are secured to upstanding frame members 4 and 5. Guide 90 at its other-end is provided with straight portions 102 and 104 forming a guide path lying intermediate rollers 66 and 86 provided with outwardly turned ends 106 and 108, end 108 being supported by a bar 109. As best seen in FIGURE 3, straight portions 102 and 104 are respectively secured to support strips 110 and 11-2 which are tied together by virtue of being secured to end blocks 1 14. A bracket 1116 is secured to support strip 110 and is engaged by cam lever .118 pivotally mounted at (FIGURE 3). Cam lever v118 is urged counterclockwise as viewed in FIGURES by -a coil spring 122 having one end aflixed to the adjacent upstanding frame member and a hook end 123 engaging lever L18. A handle 124 is provided for the operation of each lever 11'8.

Referring to FIGURE 3, a lever extending upwardly through guide 90 has its lower end secured in operating shaft 132 of snap action micro switch 134. Switch 134 is secured to a U-shaped member 136 mounted on a shaft 138 (FIGURES 1' and 3) which is'mounted for rotation in bearing block members 140 and*142 which are secured to upstanding members'4 and 5,1'respectively. As seen in FIGURE 1, shaft 1'38 is provided with a knurled nut 144 to permit it to be rotated. Torsion springs 146 each have an end 148 secured to a bar 150 (FIG. 3) and its opposite free end 15 2 engaging U-shaped member 136 to. urge it clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 3. A set screw 153 (FIGURE 1) threaded to nut 144 and engaging upstanding member 5 is used to lock nut 1 44 in the desired position.

A stop member 1154' has upstanding fingers 156 to engage and arrest the sheet being operated on. One of fingers 1156 is provided with an opening .158 to accommodate lever 130.

Switch 134 is connected to a source of power by wire 160 and is connected by a wire 16-2 to a solenoid indicated at 164. Solenoid 164 is mounted on a bracket 166 which in turn is secured at 168 to stop member 154. Plunger 163 of solenoid 164 is pivotably connected to yoke 170 by a rod 171. Yoke 170 is connected to a pusher 1 72 having substantially vertical pusher members 174 which rest on stop member 154 and pass through fingers 156 and into the open portions of guide 90'. An extension coil spring 176 acts to bias pusher members 172 downwardly to rest on stop member 154 and to bias plunger 163 towards the deactivated position.

Operation The operation of the above described machine will be described in connection with the folding of a packet 1 80 for holding a sample pharmaceutical tablet shown in FIG- URE 5. The packet 180 has already been prefolded to have an upper portion 182 and a lower portion 184. Lower portion 184 is provided with a score line 186. Packet 180 is fed downwardly from magazine 6 to the point where it is engaged by feed roller which in conjunction with the roll 56 advances packet 180 across plate 60 with the folded end of the packet leading. The advancement of packet 180 causes it to be engaged by lower rollers and upper roller 66 which rotates in a direction to further advance packet 180 to cause it to be fed upwardly between the slotted frames 92 and 94 of guide 90. After packet 180 clears the contact point between rollers 65 and 66, its momentum against lever causes lever 130 to rotate shaft 132 and close switch 134 to actuate solenoid 164. The trailing end of packet 180 remains in contact with roller 65, the solenoid moves yoke and pusher member 174 to engage the folded edge of packet and move it to the left as viewed in FIGURES 3 and 4 causing lower portion 184 to fold about the score line 186. The rotation of lower roller 65 and the movement by the pusher member 174 towards lower roller 65 causes the thus folded packet to be forced downwardly between lower roller 65 and roller 86 to form the completed packet shown in FIGURE 6.

Rotation of knob 144 permits the poisitioning of guide 90 to accommodate various lengths of sheets to be folded.

The above described operation is also employed when a fold is to be made Without the assistance of a score line. As the direction of the sheet to be folded is reversed causing it to engage lower roller 65, the sheet will collapse into a fold which on being forced downwardly between lower roller 6'5 and roller 86 will be compressed together resulting in a crease being formed in the sheet to complete the fold.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for folding a sheet along a previously uncreased line closely adjacent one edge of the sheet comprising, a pair of adjacent rollers having mutually facing surfaces, means rotating said rollers in opposite directions such that said mutally facing surfaces move in the same direction at the point of tangency thereof, means for guiding said sheet and urging said one edge thereof against one of said mutually facing surfaces at a point on said one surface such that the motion of said surface and the motion imparted to said sheet by said urging means coact to initially bend said sheet along said line and thereafter pass said sheet between said rollers which then press a fold along said line of initial bending.

2. A machine for folding a sheet along a previously uncreased line closely adjacent one edge of the sheet comprising, a pair of adjacent rollers having mutually facing surfaces, means rotating said rollers in opposite directions such that said mutually facing surfaces move in the same direction at the point of tangency thereof, means for guiding said sheet and urging said one edge thereof against one of said mutually facing surfaces at a point on said one surface such that the motion of said surface and the motion imparted to said sheet by said urging means coact to initially bend said sheet along said line and thereafter pass said sheet between said rollers which then press a fold along said line of initial bending, and means for auto matically feeding one sheet at a time to said guiding and urging means.

3. A machine for foldinga sheet along a previously uncreased line closely adjacent one edge of the sheet comprising, a pair of adjacent rollers having mutually facing surfaces, means rotating said rollers in opposite directions such that said mutually facing surfaces move in the same direction at the point of tangency thereof, means for guiding said sheet and urging said one edge thereof against one of said mutually facing surfaces at a point on said one surface such that the motion of said surface and the motion imparted to said sheet by said urging means coact to initially bend said sheet along said line and thereafter pass said sheet between said rollers which then press a fold along said line of initial bending, and a third roller cooperating with one of said rollers of said pair to feed said sheet to said guiding and urging means.

4. A machine for folding a sheet along a previously uncreased line closely adjacent one edge of the sheet comprising, a pair of adjacent rollers having mutually facing surfaces, means rotating said rollers in opposite directions such that said mutually facing surfaces move in the same direction at the point of tangency thereof, means for guiding said sheet and urging said one edge thereof against one of said mutually facing surfaces at a point on said one surface such that the motion of said surface and the motion imparted to said sheet by said urging means coact to initially bend said sheet along said line and thereafter pass said sheet between said rollers which then press a fold along said line of initial bending, said urging means including means responsive to the position of said sheet for initiating the action of said urging means.

5. A machine for folding a sheet along a previously uncreased line closely adjacent one edge of the sheet comprising, a pair of adjacent rollers having mutually facing surfaces, means rotating said rollers in opposite directions such that said mutually facing surfaces move in the same direction at the point of tangency thereof, means for guiding said sheet and urging said one edge thereof against one of said mutually facing surfaces at a point on said one surface such that the motion of said surface and the motion imparted to said sheet by said urging means coact to initially bend said sheet along said line and thereafter pass said sheet between said rollers which then press a fold along said line of initial bending, said urging means including electrically operated means for urging said one edge against said surface and. switch means responsive to the position of said sheet for actuating said electrically operated means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 410,098 Hintze Aug. 27, 1889 1,781,768 Spiess Nov. 18, 1930 1,886,832 Novick Nov. 8, 1932 2,796,008 Randall June 18, 1957 

1. A MACHINE FOR FOLDING A SHEET ALONG A PREVIOUSLY UNCREASED LINE CLOSELY ADJACENT ONE EDGE OF THE SHEET COMPRISING, A PAIR OF ADJACENT ROLLERS HAVING MUTUALLY FACING SURFACES, MEANS ROTATING SAID ROLLERS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS SUCH THAT SAID MUTALLY FACING SURFACES MOVE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AT THE POINT OF TANGENCY THEREOF, MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID SHEET AND URGING SAID ONE EDGE THEREOF AGAINST ONE OF SAID MUTUALLY FACING SURFACES AT A POINT ON SAID ONE SURFACE SUCH THAT THE MOTION OF SAID SURFACE AND THE MOTION IMPARTED TO SAID SHEET BY SAID URGING MEANS COACT TO INITIALLY BEND SAID SHEET ALONG SAID LINE AND THEREAFTER PASS SAID SHEET BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS WHICH THEN PRESS A FOLD ALONG SAID LINE OF INITIAL BENDING. 